used to forage and fight. but they are worthless against a man with a gun, who can then sell that white gold on the black market for 1,300 bucks a pound. when elephants began disappearing in the '80s, all trade of new ivory was banned worldwide. >> i'm interested in ivory. >> okay. >> reporter: so this new york dealer tells me his ivory is old enough to sell legally. but here's the rub. new demand is so much bigger than old supply. these animals are now disappearing from the african forests faster than ever. so to better understand these grim laws of supply and demand we set off on a global investigation. from the gleaming ivory markets of china to a $12 million pile of tusks and trinkets in denver to the smugglers' shops of west africa. >> if i ordered a big piece, how long would it take? >> reporter: where a hidden camera is the only way to capture the truth. >> [ speaking foreign language ]. >> reporter: since there are organized ivory crime syndicates now working across africa, where corruption is rampant